22/03/15 -Fishponds

Weight - 87lb 10oz
Catch - 13 Carp
Weather - Cool breeze and mostly sunny
Match - Club - 3rd out of 11

A change of scenery this week, with a club match at our lake and 11 members turned up.

Peg 7 was one of a few pegs I didn't want. At least the reeds had been cut back, which meant I could fish top 5 down the margins, but options in the peg are limited because it was 6ft deep all over and only slightly shallower in the margins. Ideally I would have preferred a 3ft deep margin shelf, which I think the fish would have preferred today.

The side tray had a simple selection of bait, 6mm pellet, 8mm meat and some expanders.

Starting at 13m I had a carp first put in on meat, but that was the only carp on this line all match! I tried toss potting bait, then pinging pellet and then dumping a pot full, but just could get the fish to settle in the deep water, which to be honest I half expected, because the fish here like to patrol the marginal shelves.

After the first hour I had 2 carp, then 5 more in the second hour and I thought here we go. However it never happened. By swapping left and right in the margin I would get a bite out of the blue. Even when I missed bite and go straight back in I had to wait for the next bite. I just got the feeling the fish were just swimming through the margins without stopping.

A frustrating day, when I'm sure I would have caught more had I some shallower water to fish into.

1st 163- 2 - Graham Millard - p12
2nd 96- 4 - Chris Davidge - p1
3rd 87-10 - Ken Rayner - p7
4th 80- 6 - Tim Allen - p4
5th 63- 3 - Craig Davidge - p21

15/03/15 - Lands End - Match

Weight - 109lb 9oz
Catch - 20 Carp, 6 Skimmers, 3 Roach, 2 Perch, 1 Tench, 1 F1
Weather - Cool & cloudy
Match - Winter League - rd 5 - 3rd out of 28, 2nd in section

For various reasons, we only had 28 anglers today. Thank you to those who stepped in to fill in the spaces, but I'm not happy about the ones that didn't let me know they weren't attending. Next year's league I will be insisting on anglers finding replacements, otherwise they will have to pay their pools regardless. It is simply not fair on those that have turned up.

Anyway back to the fishing. After my section win in the last round I was now in with an outside chance of claiming a top 4 place in the league, but could ill afford a poor draw. I didn't fancy any of the 3 tickets left on Match Lake (p5, p20, p22). When I drew p20 and looked down my section to see Trigger on the form peg 15 and Rod Wootton on p17, I thought my league was over and 3rd in section would be the best I could achieve. However, despite having a bit of a grumble I decided to be positive and attack the swim. The good news was p22 hadn't been drawn, so at least I had some extra water to draw the fish from, which was reinforced when a couple of fish topped between me and Dale on p24.

Rigs for the day were the same as yesterday, literally I had kept the rig on the top kits:-
- SM Pellet 0.2g > .12 > 16 B911 (far shelf)
- SM Chimp 0.3g > .12 > 18 silverfish pellet (soft pellet down the track)
- Ackoo Carbon Carrat 0.2g > .12 > 18 B911 (hair rigged pellet)
- Ackoo Carrat 0.3g > .14 > 16 B911 (meat)

After feeding some micros/4s on top of the far shelf and down the track, I started on corn searching the swim for any carp. A lost foul hooker was all I had after 15mins, so switched to the far shelf catching a couple of carp and a F1 on 6mm expander, before they disappeared.

Moving back down the track, fishing left and right with 4mm expander over pellet I managed a few small skimmers and a small carp, but was hardly setting the world alight. As expected Trigger was catching after a slow start and looked like the section was his for the taking. Rod on the other hand was struggling, as was Dave Wescott on p19 and with 2hrs gone I was probably lying 2nd in section.

The next 2hrs proved to be a bit of struggle, I just couldn't catch over the pellet lines and started pinging pellet over the long right hand swim in the hope of drawing some fish in for later. Since I couldn't catch on the pellet, I decided to cup some caster and meat in front of the p21 pallet, which produced a couple of perch, but more importantly a couple of carp on double caster, which consolidated my 2nd place.

An early look over the 5m meat line only produced a roach. With 2hrs to go I had 6 carp. Switching back to the pellet lines, the left hand swim only produced a couple more small skimmers, whilst the right hand swim was starting to show signs of life. 2 carp on 4mm expander had me reaching for the hair rigged pellet rig with heavier  elastic. This really helped as I got bites quicker and was soon catching very well, the only issue was the size of the carp, with nothing bigger than 5-6lb I really wanted some of the 8lb plus fish if I was to overtake trigger, which was further compounded when I saw him land a double figure fish.

I was hoping to catch over the 5m meat line, because a) hopefully the fish would be bigger and b) fishing at 5m instead of 15m would mean catching quicker. 4 more carp and a tench including an 8lber was welcomed, but every time I thought I might be getting close to catching Trigger he would be landing another carp. The last 30mins was spent fishing the pellet line, before returning to the meat line.

By the all out I didn't think I had beaten Trigger, although he was trying very hard to convince me otherwise. In the end I lost out by 8oz from a peg with no recent form, so I was quite pleased with my efforts.

1st 114- 9 - Adrian Clarke - p13
2nd 110- 1 - Craig Edmunds - p15
3rd 109- 9 - Ken Rayner - p20
4th 100- 1 - Mike Duckett - p37
5th 88- 2 - Tony Rixon - p1
6th 67-12 - Sean Townsend - p7

Silvers
1st 30- 6 - Nigel Bartlett - p11
2nd 28- 2 - Chris Fox - p3
3rd 17- 2 - Gary Etheridge - p39
4th 13-12 - Dave Hodgson - p42
5th 12- 8 - Dave Wescott - p19
6th 12- 3 - Tony Rixon - p1

14/03/15 - Lands End - Match

Weight - 75lb 8oz (15lb 10oz - silvers)
Catch - 12 Carp, 9 F1s, 3 Skimmers, 3 Roach, 2 Perch
Weather - Cloudy, cool north easterly breeze
Match - 4th out of 9 (2nd - silvers)

Following a week of relatively mild weather, Friday turned colder, which is just typical and hoped the fish would still be willing to feed with spring on the way.

I drew p19 which is a decent draw, but when Rod Wootton ended up on p13 and Andy Hembrow on p15, the 2 form pegs, I thought silvers would offer my best chance of a pick up and p19 has shown some recent silvers form.

After feeding some micros & 4s at various areas of the swim, I searched the island with 6mm expander (SM pellet 0.2g > .12 > 16 B911), without success, so soon switched to fishing down the track (SM chimp 0.3g > .12 > 18 silverfish pellet) with 4mm expander.

In the meantime, Rod & Andy had caught very well and it was already looking like we were all fishing for 3rd or the silvers. After an hour I had caught a couple of F1s and a carp, but wasn't really going anywhere.

As the 2nd hour progressed I got the feeling the fish were up in the water, despite the cool conditions. I had been catapulting 4s to the island, so searched the island again with either 4 or 6mm expander and soon caught a number of F1s and a couple carp before the fish backed off.

The middle part of the match was fairly uneventful. Mike Duckett on p17 had started catching carp, whilst Brian Hadley on p21 had a couple of fish, but was struggling.

I had hoped for a few decent skimmers to add to my F1s, but couldn't catch anything bigger than 8oz. The carp were now making an appearance, which I didn't really want. During the last 2 hours, I only had 1 F1 and a few small silvers in amongst the carp. Had I focused on the carp I would have probably got closer to 100lb, but it wasn't going to win me any coin, because Rod and Andy would claim 1st and 2nd, although Mike had a late of fish to keep it interesting.

I thought I had about 12lb of silvers, so when Ray White on p11 weighed 15-7 I honestly didn't believe I had that much and congratulated him on winning, only for me to weigh 15-10 beating Ray by 3oz. Of course I received plenty of stick, along the lines of robbing a pensioner! Oops, sorry Ray.

1st 141-14 - Andy Hembrow - p15
2nd 140-14 - Rod Wootton  - p13
3rd 122-14 - Mike Duckett - p15
4th 75- 8 - Ken Rayner - p19
5th 64-12 - Martin Lenaghan - p1

Silvers
1st 18-14 - Andy Hembrow - p15
2nd 15-10 - Ken Rayner - p19
3rd 15- 7 - Ray White - p11

08/03/15 - Lands End - Johns Lake

Weight - 48lb (22lb 14oz - silvers)
Catch - 9 Carp, 16 Skimmers, 14 F1s, 10 Roach, 8 Rudd, 3 Crucians, 1 Perch
Weather - Mostly sunny, with occasional showers and a little breezy
Match - 1st out of 8 - silvers

With a club match on Match Lake, we had our 'knock up' on Johns Lake and with matches at Viaduct and Trinity Waters, it meant only 8 anglers turned up. But at least we had plenty of room.

I fancied any peg from 50, 55, 58 or 62 to frame, but ended up on 70, which has shown some recent form, although the carp tend to be on the small side. However, I felt my best chance of a pick up would be the silvers, since most the F1s and skimmers live at this end of the lake.

Rigs for the day:-
- SM Chimp 0.4g > .12 > 18 silverfish pellet (open water)
- SM Chimp 0.3g > .12 > 18 silverfish pellet (tight to the spit)
- Ackoo Carrat 0.3g > .14 > 16 B911 (weed bed/margin - meat)

On the all-in 4s and micros were cupped in at 13m by the weed bed and 14m off the point of the spit. Starting on a half depth rig along the end bank, dobbing 6mm expander I soon snagged on an underwater branch. I didn't bother again (unless I needed to).

Next I thought I would try the meat rig between the weed bed and margin, hoping for an early mug fish and was disappointed to see the float go under and a rudd came flying out of the water. 2nd put in a perch came flying out of the water.

Since there were no carp in the area it was time to try the 13m line by the weed bed with 4mm expander. Over the next hour I caught mostly skimmers with the odd F1, crucian and roach, feeding 4s every other put in.

In the meantime I fed the 14m swim with 4s every other put in. After 90mins or so the fish seemed to getting smaller, so switched to the 14m swim and immediately picked up a number of F1s and a few more skimmers, before they back off.

The next area to try was tight to the spit in the corner, which produced a few more F1s. By the half way stage I had 40 fish, which only included 1 carp, however my catch rate was slowing down. Dave Wescott on p68 was catching mostly small fish and Brian Hadley on p41 was probably ahead of me catching carp.

The carp had replaced my silvers along the spit, before they backed away as well. With an hour to go I tried my meat line again, but it was full of silvers, which I targeted with caster, but they were too small to build a sensible weight, so rotated back to my 3 long lines picking up a few fish before the end.

In the end it was a really enjoyable days fishing with plenty of bites. I estimated my carp would go 20-25lb, but had no idea how much my silvers would go and was pleased to weigh my best silvers weight from Johns lake.

It was also the first time this year, when the fish actually wanted feeding. Yay, spring is definitely on its way! 

1st 99- 0 - Andy Hembrow - p50
2nd 60-11 - Rod Wootton - p62
3rd 58- 9 - Nigel Bartlett - p8
4th 50- 8 - Brian Hadley - p41

Silvers
1st 22-14 - Ken Rayner - p70
2nd 10- 5 - Mike Duckett - p46
3rd 9-13 - Nigel Bartlett - p58

06/03/15 - Bristol Avon - Reybridge

Decided to try for some chub before the end of the river season. One of the things I miss about not fishing the rivers is catching proper chub, since those you catch in commercials just aren't the same.

The destination was my club stretch of the Avon at Reybridge, which is on the opposite bank of Lacock. The intention was to fish the float for most of the day feeding caster & hemp, with either caster or maggot on the hook. A lead rod was also set up to fish either hair rigged meat or maggot/caster. The expectation was the proper chub wouldn't show until late in the day, which was confirmed when I had a chat with a regular. As such I didn't arrive until late morning.

The river itself was quite clear, being able to see about 2 foot down, but there are plenty of deep runs and wasn't overly concerned despite the bright conditions.

The first swim which was a deep glide running towards some overhanging trees was tried for an hour without any bites.

Setting up at the second swim, I nearly ended up in the river, as I slipped down the bank and kept going. Fortunately I halted by slide on a narrow shallow shelf, but not before getting a little damp! The second swim on a deep corner produced mainly roach, a couple of dace and a 4oz chub, mostly on the float. After an initial burst of catching, the fish soon backed off and I had to wait longer between fish.

I had a good look around for my 3rd swim, eventually settling on a long run, which was shallower along the far bank. But the main reason for choosing the swim was the sunken tree stump down the inside which I felt sure would hold a few fish. As with the 2nd swim I had an initial burst of fish, a few roach, but mostly dace this time, plus a couple of gudgeon and minnows.

With an hour to go and the light fading the hoped for chub still had turned up and since I couldn't get a bite on the float, decided to sit it out on the lead. 2 hits on meat, but no fish had me swapping to triple maggot. Just as I was considering leaving there was a couple of taps on the tip, which I thought would be from small fish, but no a chub was definitely hooked, but after a few seconds, I felt the hooklength grating against the sunken tree stump and the fish was gone. It felt like a 2-3lb fish.

There was just enough light to retie a hooklength and within a couple of minutes, a couple more "small fish" taps I struck and connected with another fish, but this one felt bigger. I managed to pull it away from the snag, but it just stayed deep and as I got it under the rod tip, it started moving upstream. Because it was now quite dark, I wasn't sure how far upstream the fish had gone, but knew I had to stop it making a snag and unfortunately something gave way and the fish was lost. Really gutted, because that fish was either a very big chub or possibly a barbel, but will never know.

28/02/15 - Lands End - Match

Weight - 28lb 8oz (7lb 3oz - silvers)
Catch - 3 Carp, 5 F1, 2 Roach, 1 Perch
Weather - Mostly dry and sunny. Showery later
Match - Open - 6th out of 12 (5th - silvers)

On arrival we were met with mild conditions and the expectation for a good day, unfortunately it didn't turn out that way.

Have to say I was quite disappointed to draw p5, which hasn't been the best peg this winter and felt the only way of a pick up would be to target the silvers, although with the milder conditions I was hoping the carp would be less reluctant to move around.

The first hour was spent looking for a carp and I had 1 from the corner of the island on meat, but in the shallow water I could see the fish swimming from p19, stop and turn back as they saw the pole tip. Nick Duckett on P7 already had 3 or 4 fish, as had Brian opposite on p19.

The rest of the match was quiet. I fed various areas with either caster or meat or pellet. The only place I could catch (2 carp and 3 F1s) was in the middle of the gap, either on 4mm expander of dead maggot (HB Frostie 0.3g > .10 > 18 silverfish pellet) over micros/4s, but had to wait a long time for bites. I did pull out of what I think was a decent skimmer and then lost an F1 which dived under my nets transferring the hook almost chub like!

In the meantime Andy Hembrow on P3 had a 30min spell when he caught 4 decent skimmers, but other than that most were struggling and I still felt I had a chance of either framing or picking up the silvers, if I could put a run of fish together.

Throughout the match I had been pinging 4s to the corner of the island in the expectation the carp would turn up, they never did. My final 2 F1s, pulling out of a 3rd came in the last 30mins by fishing shallow with maggot in the gap without feeding.

A frustrating day and everyone came away with the same experience of the fish backing off the feed. In hindsight I should have concentrated on fishing caster/maggot by the island, just catching what I could, because there seemed to be plenty of fishing moving around, just not willing to feed.

1st 71-3 - Nick Duckett - p7
2nd 47-12 - Nick Ewers - p15
3rd 43- 8 - Gary O'Shea - p13
4th 34-13 - Dave Wescott - p11
5th 32-13 - Rod Wootton - p24
6th 28- 8 - Ken Rayner - p5

Silvers
1st 11- 0 - Andy Hembrow - p3
2nd 9-12 - Gary O'Shea - p13
3rd 8-15 - Dave Wescott - p11